Wait For Me and I'll Come Running Back to You
by IBelongInTheOC
Summary: Ryan leaves Newport for the military and the 4 teenagers are split up all across the country. What happens when Kirsten and Sandy have an aniversary party and it brings the foursome together again?
1. Chapter 1

**Wait For Me, And I'll Come Running Back to You**

A/N: Minor spoilers for season 3. Just about how Ryan and Marissa leave Harbor. Enjoy.

Marissa wasn't exactly sure of when she stopped counting the days that Ryan left. Maybe it was after his 18th birthday, which he had been gone exactly 227 days. Or maybe it was shortly after Christmas, when she came home from UC Santa Barbara to visit her family. She walked into the Cohen house for dinner, expecting to see Ryan's baby blue eyes, and his lips curved up into a smile, but only to hear Sandy saying, "Not this year, kiddo."

So she went back to school, and tried to live her life. Went to a few parties, even had a few opportunities with some of the frat boys, but she turned them down every time. She stopped communicating with the people from her past, even Summer Roberts, her best friend since 3rd grade, and at the end of her freshman year, she refused to come back to Newport.

I guess I should tell you where Ryan was throughout all of this mess. Marissa still remembers it like it was yesterday.

* * *

"_Hey babe," Marissa said, sitting down on a bench next to Ryan, giving him a peck on the cheek. Their relationship had gotten stronger since they had left Harbor._

_He met her eyes, but didn't say anything. She instantly knew something was up._

"_What's going on, Ryan?" She sweetly asked, nuzzling her head into his neck. _

_With one finger, he scooped her chin up so their eyes were met. He kissed her deeply, never wanting to let go, and when he finally did, he looked away. There was a long period of silence, Marissa knew Ryan needed his time to say the words he was about to say._

"_I have to go away for a while," he finally said, and Marissa paused._

"_What?"_

"_I have to leave. Get out of town. Give things a chance to go back to normal."_

"_Ryan, no. Things are fine."_

_He sighed. "Marissa, how can you say that? We just got expelled from one of the top private schools in the country, and all because they didn't want two kids like us there with our 'criminal record'."_

"_Ryan," she began._

"_Riss, you never had to deal with this before I was here. There was never any question as to how your life was going to turn out, and now, well, you and I both know it might not be the same."_

"_I love you, though. I know that."_

_He put her face in his hands._

"_Never doubt for a second that I don't love you. But, I have to leave."_

"_Where are you gonna go?" She asked, her face now streaming with tears. _

_He reached around into his back pocket and pulled out a pamphlet._

_She looked at it, and instantly her eyes widened. "The military, Ryan? Are you kidding me?"_

"_Hey, I know it's dangerous, but I'm gonna have something out there that's always gonna bring me back. And that's you. I'll be back. I promise."_

"_When do you leave?"_

"_Tomorrow night."_

"_No. Ryan, please tell me this is a dream. You can't."_

"_I love you. So much," he said, kissing her, but she pushed away. She wasn't about to let him do this. If he left her, she would have no one. Sure, she had Summer and Seth, but they didn't even go to the same school anymore, let alone see each other except on weekends. _

"_Do you want to come home with me and help me pack?" He asked her, playing with a golden lock of her hair. She nodded, emotionless, and while he drove them to the Cohen residence, she didn't say a word. They walked into the house, him holding her hand, to find a depressed Seth and Summer playing video games half-heartedly, and a hysterical Kirsten who had obviously just learned the news. Sandy was trying to calm her down, while watching Ryan walk through the door. Kirsten politely excused herself while Sandy followed her, making eye contact with Seth. _

_Ryan sat down next to Seth, giving him a small smile._

"_Dude, I'm not gonna lie to you, this sucks."_

"_I know," Ryan whispered, "but it's my last night in town, we should have a little fun."_

_Summer jumped up. "I'm down with that, what do you guys wanna do?"_

_Ryan shrugged. "Movies in the pool house?"_

"_That's really going out with a bang, Ryan." _

"_I don't feel much like going out tonight."_

"_Movies in the pool house, it is, then," Seth said, and the four of them made their way out there. _

"_I just want to be in your arms tonight," Marissa whispered to him, while they entered the pool house. _

"_I think I can handle that," he said, winking at her, and squeezing her hand. _

_They ended up falling asleep after their first movie, and when Seth and Summer woke up to leave, so did Ryan. He rolled over, and his breathing stopped. Marissa lied there, looking absolutely breathtaking. He sat there and stared at her for he didn't know how long, but when he decided that he should turn over and go to sleep, he felt a hand on his arm. He turned, startled, and looked at Marissa with her eyes wide open._

"_Hey, beautiful," he said. _

"_Ryan?" she asked, scooting closer to him and rubbing her body against his._

"_Yeah?" he responded, feeling a little turned on at this sudden closeness._

"_There's one more thing I need out of you tonight," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck._

_He met her eyes again, and looked at her. "Are you sure?" _

_She nodded, and their lips met. His hands met with her slender hips, hiking her skirt up as they traveled up her body. "Want me to take it off?" She whispered._

"_In a minute," he groaned, kissing her collarbone. His hand slipped underneath her skirt, and Marissa moaned. Ryan was greeted with no other type of clothing. He now knew Marissa wasn't wearing any underwear. He was even more turned on. "Since when do you not wear underwear?" He asked, giving her a small smile. She didn't respond. She just took his hand and led it to her most private place. Ryan was no idiot, he knew what to do from this point. He took two fingers and thrusted them inside of her. She moaned and gasped, she didn't even know how to handle it. He told her to keep it down, he didn't want any embarrassing episodes happening tonight. She stopped him after a few minutes, and he took the opportunity to take her shirt off. He grabbed one of her breasts in that lacy black bra that always drove him crazy and kissed it ever so lightly. He eventually took the bra off and kissed the valley in between her breasts. He slowly kissed Marissa down to her stomach, and stopped right where her skirt began. He unbuttoned the skirt, and slid it down her legs. _

"_You look so beautiful tonight, Marissa," he said._

_She caught her breath and smiled at him with adoring eyes. He began kissing her inner thighs, and she gasped. "Ryan," she breathed, but he didn't stop. He wasn't going to stop. As he worked her with his tongue, Marissa spread her legs wider and wider. Her moans were getting louder, and Ryan knew she was going to climax. As she screamed and breathed heavily through her orgasm, Ryan came up from underneath the sheets, and rested with her. Her eyes were closed, but when she opened them, she could see the huge tent in Ryan's boxers from his growing erection. She giggled softly, and put a hand on his face._

"_You think it's funny, don't you?" Ryan teased as he rolled on top of her. She nodded. She unbuttoned his shirt, and he gasped as her hand touched him. She lightly caressed him, and kissed him softly, then began to work him faster. Ryan was groaning from the intense pleasure of her touching him and it turned her on even more to hear it. _

"_I'm ready, Ryan," she whispered, and he acknowledged her with a kiss._

"_Okay," he said as he rolled back on top of her and entered her. She groaned with pain, and he stopped. "Are you okay?"_

_She nodded. "Keep going."_

_Their bodies started moving in perfect sync, and Marissa was clawing at Ryan's back. Ryan flipped her over as their lips met, and began rocking back and forth, faster and faster. Marissa prepared for Ryan's impending orgasm, and as he came, it triggered her own release. The both of them were moaning loudly as Marissa shook with pleasure, and Ryan was out of breath as he laid down beside her. She looked over at him and smiled. "I can't believe we waited this long to do that."_

_He laughed and kissed her. "Wanna do it again?" He asked, and gave her a little wink. Marissa slowly moved her hands down underneath the sheets as she smiled at her lover. __

* * *

_

The next day, Ryan left to do his duty as a soldier, and hadn't come back since.

After Ryan left, Seth, well, Seth went to New York to pursue in his career of being a director. He tried not to think about anyone in Newport that often, including his parents, but he still thought about them all the time.

Summer and Seth had ended things badly when she chose to stay in California and attend college in San Francisco. She had told him she wasn't going to give up her dream just so he could pursue his, and they ended things. Summer worked for a modeling agency, and since she wasn't 5'10" and as skinny as a rail, she designed the clothes for the models to show off. She resided in Newport with her boyfriend, Bryan Mitchell, planned parties in her spare time, and lived a somewhat happy life.

* * *

"I'd really like it if you were there, Seth," Kirsten Cohen's voice said, as Seth sighed on the other line.

"Mom, I just don't know if I can take the time off work."

"Seth, I'm not stupid. You're the boss of all of those people. If you told them to jump off a bridge, they would do it. Now, you're coming. Your father and I would really appreciate it if you were at our 25th wedding anniversary party."

"Is Ryan going?"

He could hear Kirsten sigh. "I don't know. I haven't gotten a hold of him."

"Of course you haven't, Mom. If Ryan goes, I'll go, otherwise, no deal."

She heard the soft click of her phone as her son hung up. Sandy stood beside her and rubbed her shoulders lovingly.

"Since when did our son become such a jerk, Sandy?"

"Since everything he ever cared about got ripped away and money was his only shelter."

"Oh, Sandy," she sighed, as tears filled her eyes.

"I'll get Ryan to come home. I promise, Sweetheart."

* * *

Sandy Cohen had been waiting for the day when he would hear from his foster son. He hated seeing his whole family torn apart, and completely on opposite sides of the world. He hadn't seen Ryan in 3 years, nor had he seen Seth in about 2. Kirsten had managed to stay sober through out all of this, but he didn't know how much more she could handle. The only person Sandy and Kirsten saw out of the four teenagers was Summer, and that was because her boyfriend, Bryan, worked for Sandy's firm, and because Summer still remained in Newport.

Sandy was sitting in his office with his head in his hands when the phone rang. Not recognizing the number, he picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Sandy."

"Who is this?"

"Uh-it's Ryan."

"Ryan! Wow, kiddo, I was just thinking about hiring a private investigator to try and find you! Where have you been, son?"

Ryan chuckled politely. "You know, around."

"Where ya at right now?"

"I got based in New Jersey, so I just decided to stay here. It's a pretty state."

"I bet, but there's still nothing like California."

"Yeah, I'll admit to that one."

"It's so good to hear from you, Ryan. Things just aren't the same without you here anymore."

"Thanks, Sandy. How is everyone?"

"Um, okay, I guess. Seth is living in New York, so it's just Kirsten and me in the house. Marissa is off in Santa Barbara, she comes back every so often, and Summer still lives here."

"Seth and Summer, are they…?"

"Nope, afraid not. She's dating a guy named Bryan who works at my firm."

"Oh, that's too bad."

"Yeah, she's happy though."

There was a long pause.

"Listen, Ryan, I know that there must be something keeping you from not coming back to Newport, but Kirsten and I are having our 25th wedding anniversary party next week, and we'd really love it if you were there. Summer is planning the whole thing, and of course there's always a pool house that has your name on it."

Ryan smiled. "I'd love to."

"Really?" Sandy sounded amazed.

"If you want me there, of course I'll come."

Sandy smiled, and began giving Ryan the details. When he hung up the phone, he called Seth to tell him the good news.

* * *

Sandy went home that night, tired, but happy. He told his wife the good news, and she was overjoyed. They were both pondering as they went to sleep that night, what it would be like when the four teenagers reunited.

* * *

A/N: First chap done. Review, please!

-emily


	2. Your Own Disaster

A/N: Got a few reviews, would like a few more though. I'll review if you do!

Chapter 2: **Your Own Disaster**

_And I wish you weren't worth the wait_

_Because there's some things_

_I'd like to say to you…_

Marissa drummed her fingers on her desk inside her office. Her secretary told her Sandy Cohen had called and left a message, requesting for an immediate call back. Her secretary hadn't given any more details, so she assumed Sandy hadn't stated his reason for calling.

She felt nervous as she picked up the phone and played with the numbers. She slammed the phone back down on its receiver and put her head in her hands. It was just Sandy. Why was she so nervous about calling Sandy? Other than the fact that she hadn't spoken to the man in a long time, and knew she would get scolded for it, there was really no other reason why she shouldn't call him back.

Taking a deep breath, she picked up the phone and dialed the Cohen home. It rang and rang, until finally someone picked up. A familiar voice answered. "Cohen residence, Summer speaking."

Marissa froze. Summer and her weren't on the best terms. Marissa had regretted the way she left things with Summer the last time they had spoken.

"Hello?" Summer spoke into the phone.

"Yeah. Can I speak with Sandy, please?"

"Yeah, sure, hold on one second."

"Thank you."

"Coop?" Summer's voice rang out before she left to go find Sandy.

"Um, yeah. Hi, Summer."

"Pretty good. And yourself?"

"The same. Living life, you know?"

"Yep. I read all about you in the mags. Seen some of the homes you've decorated. Beautiful. Maybe I'll have you do mine one of these days, that is if you ever come back to Newport."

Marissa rolled her eyes at Summer's cold tone. "It was nice talking to you, Summer. Can I speak to Sandy?"

"Yeah. Hold on."

Summer handed the phone to Sandy without a word. He grabbed it quizzically. "Sandy Cohen."

"Hi, Sandy. It's Marissa. You called?"

"Marissa! Well, hello there. It's so good to hear your voice."

"You too. I miss you guys."

"Well, you don't have to anymore. Kirsten and I are having a 25th anniversary party and we'd really like it if you were there."

Marissa was silent for a few seconds, debating on this. She really wanted to be there for Sandy and Kirsten's sake but just didn't know if she could bear being around Newport and all the memories.

"Marissa?" Sandy pondered, wondering if she was still there.

"Yeah, I'm here. I don't know if I can make it, Sandy."

"Well, I understand if you can't. But we'd really love to see your beautiful face. It's this upcoming Friday."

"Okay. Nice talking to you. Tell Kirsten that I say hi."

"Will do. Bye now, Marissa."

She hung up the phone, upset with herself. She hated disappointing Sandy, and he knew that. So, he knew that if he talked to her, she was going to come. She sighed. The way parents work your mind. She picked up the phone and dialed her secretary. "Lynn, get me the next flight out to Newport, please."

* * *

To anyone on a normal day in Newport, Summer Roberts would just look like an average newpsie pulling into a parking spot and getting out of her brand new Mercedes in her Diesel jeans, and overly large sunglasses. But today was not a normal day in Newport. Today was the day Ryan Atwood would finally come home to reunite with all of his old family and friends. She walked into the airport, and stopped at security, waiting for Ryan to walk through the gate. She sipped on a latte, and when she saw him, she smiled. He didn't see her, however, so she threw her latte away, and ran and jumped on him. "Ryan Atwood, I swear to God, I didn't think you could get any more muscular, look at those guns!" She exclaimed, while squeezing his arms. 

"Good to see you too, Summer," he said, as he put her back on the ground, and his blue eyes sparkled a little.

"Great to be home, isn't it?" She said, walking beside him.

"You know what?" He replied, putting an arm around her shoulder, "it really is."

She smiled widely at him, and they walked downstairs together to get his luggage.

* * *

Summer dropped him off at the Cohen residence, explaining she had to go to Bryan's for a while, but that she would be back. He hesitated before walking through the front door. He hadn't seen these people in four years, and now that he was back, it was going to be a little strange. He decided to walk in as soon as Julie Cooper was walking out. "Ryan!" she yelled, chipper as ever. She leaned into him for a kiss on the cheek. "It's so wonderful to see you." 

"Um, you too, Julie," he replied, awestruck at her unusual behavior.

"Well, I must be off, but we'll catch up later, hmm? I've got to go get the house ready for when Marissa arrives!"

"Okay," he said, waving at her, then he did a double take. Wait, Marissa was coming? Whoa, whoa. This he had not been informed of. He walked through the door, a confused expression on his face.

* * *

It was Kirsten that first saw him, and at first she hugged him for five minutes and wouldn't let him go, then she began crying hysterically. He comforted her for a while until Sandy walked in the room. 

"Don't even worry about it, she's just glad to see you. As we all are," he said, giving Ryan a manly hug.

"Do you mind if I get something to drink?"

At this point, Kirsten's eyes welled up with tears again. "It's pretty bad when my own son has to ask if he can get something to drink or not, Sandy!"

"Ryan, you don't have to bother asking. Kirsten, sweet heart, it's okay. Hey, Seth is coming home today, too. Then the whole family is going to be back together again, and we're all gonna have an awesome time."

Kirsten nodded. "I know. Speaking of that, shouldn't we get going to the airport?"

"Yeah, that might be a good idea. Ryan, you wanna come along?"

"Um, sure."

"All right, gang, let's head out," Sandy said, heading to the car.

* * *

Marissa gripped the arm chair tightly, as she sat down. The plane hadn't even taken off yet, and she was nervous. She had hated planes ever since she was a little girl. She closed her eyes tightly, and when she opened them, she saw a familiar head of hair, and she almost jumped out her seat. Actually, she did. "Seth!" 

His head cocked to the side when he heard his name being called by the familiarity of a woman's face.

"Marissa! He exclaimed.

She hugged him tightly when he got to her, ignoring the rude comments she received from the man sitting next to her. Seth leaned down to said man, and shoved a plane ticket in his face, "I'll give you first class if you let me sit in this spot" The man pondered for a second, then took the plane ticket from Seth's hand, and walked away.

"People are so uptight these days, eh?" He said, an amused look on his face.

"Oh, I am so glad you're here. I have trouble on planes, and usually the person next to me never wants to talk, and so I just sit her nervously, waiting for my fate of either crashing or landing safely."

Seth chuckled. "Well, I assure you, we will be fine."

"That's always comforting. Reassurance from Seth Cohen."

He winked at her, and shrugged. "Better than nothing, I always say."

"What are you doing on this flight anyway. Don't you live in New York?"

"Yeah, I flew from JFK to Ontario, and then connected a smaller flight from Ontario to Newport. Is that what you did?"

"Subtract JFK, add Santa Barbara."

"Yes. How's that working out for you?"

"Just wonderful. I love it there. Not quite as much as I love Newport, though."

"I don't think any place can beat Newport. And that's coming out of a true hater's mouth."

"You know you secretly loved it, Seth."

"Yeah, but we'll just keep that between me and you."

She laughed, and they continued with their chat about their current lives, old times, and what was to come. When they landed, Marissa hadn't even noticed where the time had gone. "That was fun," she said, grabbing her purse, and walking off the plane.

"Yeah, it was. I don't think we would have gotten another chance to do that."

"Of course we will," she said as they walked down the runway and into the building.

Seth spotted his mom, and ran up to her and gave her a big kiss on the cheek, and somewhat of a hug to his father, but wasn't able to very well since his mom wouldn't let go of him.

"Good to see you, son," Sandy said, while giving a crazy look behind Kirsten's back. Marissa stood there a little awkwardly while she saw the family embrace. She cast her eyes upward, and saw another familiar head of hair behind Sandy's. Her heart stopped. Was this really happening? Was Ryan Atwood seriously standing behind Sandy, a big smile on his face, waiting for his turn to greet Seth?

When Kirsten let go, and Sandy let go, Seth spotted Ryan and froze. "Ryan!" He exclaimed. They shared a brotherly hug ,and when Ryan looked behind Seth, he saw Marissa. His smile faltered a little, and their eyes met. He couldn't do this right now. Luckily for him, Sandy and Kirsten were occupying her time, so he had a minute alone with Seth.

"I don't know if I can deal being in such close vicinity with her for a week."

"Are you serious, bro? It's just Marissa Cooper."

"Just Marissa Cooper? That's real funny, Seth. She is not the only the girl that I've been in love with since I was 16, but also the girl I left when we were 18, and have not seen since."

Seth sighed. "Well, I have to see Summer. So I think we're even."

"Fair enough," Ryan commented, walked in the direction of Marissa as soon as he saw that Sandy and Kirsten had walked away to retrieve their luggage.

"Hey, Riss," he said, approaching her cautiously.

"Hey, Ry," she said, giving him a slight smile. He leaned in for a hug, and she politely took it, along with all of his familiar scents that brought her back to the one night they shared before he left.

"Good to see you," he said, slowly walking, with her behind.

"And you as well."

Oh, god.

* * *

"So father," Seth began, when they all piled in the car, "tell me about this Bryan guy that Summer is dating." 

"Oh, Seth. He is just wonderful," Kirsten began.

"Thanks, Mother."

Sandy cleared his throat. "He's a nice man. Strong, loyal, dedicated."

"Meaning boring, uptight, and has a huge stick up his ass in the words of Sandy Cohen."

Sandy looked through the rear view mirror, surprised at the words Marissa had said, and then he smiled. "You know me all too well."

She grinned, and hopped out of the car with her luggage when they reached the house. Marissa walked into the familiar house that had barely changed since she was last in it. She walked through the living room, and into the kitchen to find Summer on her cell phone, barking orders. She saw Marissa enter through the corner of her eye.

"Let me call you back."

She hung up the phone and turned around in her chair to stand up. "Hey, Coop."

Marissa smiled warmly at her former best friend. They embraced in a quick hug, and then quickly let go. "I suppose Seth is here as well?" Summer pondered, beginning to walk out to the foyer.

"Yes," Marissa responded, staying in the kitchen.

Seth spotted her first, standing in the foyer. He had been getting his luggage out of the trunk, but spotted her, and froze. There she stood, in all of her glory, wearing a lilac-colored pencil skirt with a matching cami and cardigan. The cami showed off barely any midriff, but that was just the way Seth liked it. He couldn't help but notice how cute she looked in her reading glasses. She looked like one of those hot librarians that you could take back to the dusty book shelves and do naughty things with. His luggage fell to his feet and he was brought back to his sad reality. He walked up to the door, and as soon as their eyes met, Summer knew she wasn't over him. He flashed her a dimpled smile, and gave her a hug.

"Missed you, Sum," he said quietly in her ear.

She nodded. "Me too."

He knew they weren't on the best of terms, but he was going to try to make the best out of this week.

"Take-out, anyone?" Sandy called from the kitchen.

Seth and Summer smiled at each other. Just like old times.

* * *

After they all finished their meals, Kirsten and Summer went into her home office to discuss the party. Sandy and Seth were enjoying an intense game of Tony Hawk in the living room, and Ryan and Marissa sat there awkwardly watching the two. 

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Ryan suggested.

Marissa nodded. "Sure. A walk on the beach sounds nice."

"Just what I was thinking. We'll be back, Sandy. Seth."

The two just nodded while Marissa and Ryan slipped out the back door.

She kept her distance while they walked. At first, nothing was said, they just enjoyed the silence of each other's company.

"I really missed you, Ryan," Marissa said, finally speaking up. He noticed her voice was breaking, and he looked over at her, surprised by her sudden emotion, to find her blue eyes boring into his, and for the first time in his life, he couldn't read them.

* * *


End file.
